Tuesday, September 22, 2009

No Wonder the US is going to hell!

My friend, The Grouch put out a post today on Pimple Faced Wannabees. I spent the day from Hell today on a similar type situation.
At my place of employment we have 4 hydraulic barricades that raise up and lower upon command to stop unauthorized traffic. We have had these things since 2003. They occasionally give trouble, and up until today, I would call the company who makes them and order the proper replacement part. Usually overpriced, but nevertheless, I would get them. NOT TODAY!
I called to order a spring for one. Now this is a BIG spring! Something like you would find under the front end of an older car, except BIGGER!
Called the company, got customer service, and was told,"I'm sorry Mr. Sheffield, but I can no longer sell parts to you!"
"Why not!", I calmly asked. ""Because Seimens has the service contract on all the barricades, and THEY have to sell you the parts!"
Well, to do away with much useless banter and quotes, I worked my way thru 4 levels of bullshit from the barricade company, and after threatning to sell all the barricades for scrap, I got to a Seimens person. "Why do you feel that the spring is causing you problems?", this genius asked. "BECAUSE THE DAMNED THING IS BROKEN IN HALF!", I not so calmly replied! "Oh" said he. Well I guess we need to send you one!"
By now, my BP was off the map. Anyhow, after starting this exercise in futility at about 0800, now it is 0100, I told him to ship the spring the fastest way, that I needed it.
Sounds good?, no not to be. I got a call from a man in Huntsville, who told me that it was going to cost $400 to send me this $600 spring overnite! By now, we had already African Engineered the barricade back into working. I told him, calmly, to strap the @#$%&Spring to the back of a *&%$#@Snail and send the SOB to me at the cheapest price, that I was right before taking a bulldozer to all the @^%$#**&Barricades and selling them all for scrap iron!
In the middle of all this, all the electric power went off. I am working like a dawg to find out why. My phone is ringing constantly with people telling me their power is off, they're out of toilet paper, they need somebody to go get their lunch and a hundred other miniscule petty complaints until I finally blow up and tell em all to get $$#*@ked!
Damn! What a day!
Anyhow, Siemens. Not an American company, German as a matter of fact, has a contract with the U.S. Army to provide barricades and God knows whatever else to the Army!
There are people out of work all across this great land, but some bunch of sons of bitches that got paid who knows what under the table have put the security of this country in the hands of 1.Idiots, 2. NAZIs , 3. Communists, 4. People who don't really give a shit if I ever get a spring or not!
Anyhow, Grouch, I sympathize wit ya!

2 comments:

  1. "African Engineered"????

    Sounds like a racist comment.

    Your chirren will be appalled.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sounds like you had a day from hell. Sorry to hear that! I hate outsourcing...but you know that. Guess it could have been worse...you could have gotten a middle-eastern who didn't speak good English. At least you were able to communicate with these folks, no matter how dumb, condescending and bureaucratic they were.

    BTW, I liked "African Engineered"... good substitute. ;-)

    ReplyDelete